Turkish people have intensified their efforts to help Ukraine amid the Russian invasion.
The regional branch of Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay) in western Aydın province’s Nazilli district has sent TL 100,000 ($7,000) for humanitarian use during the war.
The donation was made by a single businessperson in Nazilli, Ihlas News Agency (IHA) said in a report.
Mevlüt Günay, the head of Kızılay in Nazilli, also underlined that, “It is very important for Turks to help those in need.”
Adding that they also received donations for Afghan people after the Taliban takeover, Günay said that the Turkish Red Crescent also sent aid to Ukraine after the Russian invasion started.
The official also reiterated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also acknowledged the Turkish nation’s efforts.
After essential goods flowed into their premises, the Ukrainian Embassy in Ankara also recently thanked Turks for their donations.
“A friend in need is a friend indeed,” the mission said in Turkish.
The Turkish Red Crescent has sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine in response to a call for support by the Ukrainian Red Cross to assist those affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.
“We are sending a humanitarian relief convoy to #Ukraine to address urgent basic needs, coordinating with Red Cross Ukraine,” Kerem Kınık, the head of the charity, said on Twitter.
“Our teams are being deployed to the region with warehousing tents, family-type tents and mobile catering vehicles for evacuees and #IDPs (internally displaced people),” Kınık added.
Stating that he is concerned about a possible refugee crisis, Kınık said all humanitarian leaders should be more proactive to prevent this.
“We are ready to send all kinds of humanitarian aid to the Ukrainian Red Cross,” Kınık said.
The humanitarian aid is aimed at providing relief supplies such as tents and mobile catering vehicles for the vulnerable who evacuated due to the conflict.
Three aid trucks have departed for Ukraine.
The Turkish Red Crescent is one of the top five organizations in the world among 192 national societies in terms of budget, the number of beneficiaries and projects. As the Red Crescent is an important player in mediation and human diplomacy internationally, the aid group is now in a considerably more policy-making position in the international arena.
Turkey’s three main mobile operators, Türk Telekom, Turkcell and Vodafone, also announced on their social media accounts that they are providing free calling, SMS and internet for the urgent communication needs of Turkish citizens in Ukraine. They also advised them to follow the Turkish Foreign Ministry guidelines.
Defying threats of sanctions by the West, Moscow officially recognized Ukraine’s regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states earlier this week, followed by the start of a military operation in Ukraine on Thursday.
Tensions started escalating late last year when Ukraine, the United States and its allies accused Russia of massing tens of thousands of troops on the border with Ukraine.
They claimed that Russia was preparing to invade its western neighbor, allegations that Moscow consistently rejected.
Turkey condemned Moscow’s decision to invade Ukraine after it assaulted the country by land, sea and air in the biggest attack by one state against another in Europe since World War II. -Agencies
